3lovelylittles's reviews
95 reviews

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

My three(ish) words: creepy, intense, wait…what?

This will make a great (better?) movie.

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

My three(ish) words: thoughtful, beautifully-written

Would recommend: to lovers of short stories, Irish novels and books that give you pause. 

The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

My three(ish) words: slow, easy-reading

Would recommend: to readers who like coming of age stories, though I found this one to be a bit dulled on the edges

The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

My three(ish) words: a not-quite-whodunnit

Would recommend: to fans of The Engagement Party (Darby Kane) or The Guest List (Lucy Foley).

Ugh. I thought I wasn’t enjoying this book as I read it. In fact, I found myself feeling very annoyed with it and wanting it to be over. There were a lot of storylines- perhaps too many…and dramatic one-line chapter endings (“it’s hiding in plain sight, like my own secret”), some of which felt overly-dramatic and complicating. You’ve got to read 90% of the book before you get to the murder-mystery element- which has both (if possible) a rushed ending and a twist I should have (but didn’t) see coming!  For a book that I almost DNFd many times, I still give it 3 stars, mostly for the twist at the end. 

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

My three(ish) words: powerful, haunting, to-close-to-home

Would recommend to: readers who enjoy dystopian-slash-semi-reflective view of the perils facing and impacting people (although admittedly, given the current state of our worlds affairs, it felt a little to close to home for me. 

Note: my first Octavia Butler novel- stunning writing, haunting, prognostic 

The Case of the Missing Maid by Rob Osler

adventurous funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

My three(ish) words: intrepid, cheeky, fabulous

Would recommend: to lovers of detective novels, especially ones with a bold, adventurous, and confident protagonist who isn’t going to let social norms and conventions get in the way of solving the mystery! 

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

My three(ish) words: family, aching-beautiful, complex

Would recommend to: readers who enjoy nuanced and dramatic stories told from multiple perspectives across time about the power of families, love, sisterhood and relationships. If you liked Little Women (book or movies), Hello Beautiful will likely feel familiar. 

Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo
Did not finish book. Stopped at 31%.

Sigh.  I heard such good things about this book. It was my first time reading Claire Lombardo- and I loved her writing-Fluid, descriptive. And yet.  I could not get past the main character and the incessant whining. I almost DNFed it earlier but kept going. I found myself happy that I did at one point when things seemed to pick up and I thought there would be more to the story…but the I found myself right back where I had started. I love a good middle-aged, reflective story but this just didn’t do it for me. Also….how LONG is this book? I was listening to it as an audio book and (dear-god) 37% in with nearly 12 hours to go.  Nope. I just couldn’t do it. I heard from a fellow reader that the ending is where the story all comes together….but 18hrs and 21min of audio is just too much whining for me to suffer through.    

Village in the Dark by Iris Yamashita
Did not finish book. Stopped at 25%.

Got sidetracked, and it had to be returned to Libby.  Would pick back up to finish 

All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

My three(ish) words: dark, gripping, page-turner.

Would recommend: to readers who like propulsive, dramatic story-lines, who aren’t afraid of graphic writing and facing racism and abuse head-on.